"It is still tough to play it cool when a crowd goes as nuts as you guys did @glasslands last night. Thank you for an amazing show." - @CYMBLS_EAT_GTRS

Cymbals Eat Guitars @ Glasslands 12/30/2014

Cymbals Eat Guitars headlined Glasslands' penultimate night (12/30) on Kent Avenue last night, and the venue was as packed as I've ever seen it. As the band mentioned in their above tweet, the crowd was indeed going nuts, at least the 75 or so nearest the stage. No crowd surfing, but a constant, simmering pit and lots of pumped fists. The band, who've been touring most of the last six months or so on the back of their great new album LOSE, were definitely feeding off crowd energy and were just terrific. Joseph D'Agostino was drenched in sweat by the third song. Before the encore, they brought up the Zambri sisters to sing, and Hooray for Earth's Noel Heroux to play guitar, though he spent much if his time onstage bear-hugging D'Agostino. It was a very Glasslands moment.

The rest of the line-up was also very Glasslands, with Keepaway (who peppered their set with "Goodbye Glasslands" robot voice samples), Mon Khmer (who may have played the venue more than any other band), and Air Waves (Brian from Hospitality was filling in on bass). Everyone was in (and full of) good spirits. With all the new art they've put up everywhere, the place maybe has never looked better. The DJs for the evening were spinning Super Hits of the '90s which kept people lingering after CEG finished (and loudly singing along to Seal's "Kiss from a Rose"). Pictures from the night are in this post.

Tonight (12/31), Glasslands' New Year's Eve Party, is thelast-ever night for the venue. which has been in operation since 2006. (And with that the block of Kent/S2 goes dark, musically.) Tonight's show, which sold out basically instantly, still has a mystery lineup but they have revealed tonight's set times: 9:30, 10:30, 12:05, 1:30. (Who are your guesses for the final lineup?) They also warn that everyone is on the will call list, so go early or be ready for a line. If you didn't get tickets and still want to say goodbye in person, after the bands finish at 2:30 AM the place will be open for anyone to stop by.

Grooms' last live show, the final night of Death by Audio, was a little hard to get into. Their next NYC show should not prove as difficult. They're playing Brooklyn Night Bazaar on Saturday (12/12) with The Teen Age, Glazzies and headliners Celestial Shore. That's a free show where you can maybe get some holiday shopping done (or a round of mini-golf) and you can RSVP to get on the skip-the-line list.

Grooms' next show after this weekend is opening for A Place to Bury Strangers (who also played DbA's final night) at Music Hall of Williamsburg on February 17 (tickets).That serves as a record release show for both APTBS' Transfixiation, and Grooms' Comb the Feelings Through Your Hair which are both out that day. (You can hear "Doctor M" below.) Look for a tour after that, details are still TBA at the moment.

Main man Travis Johnson took time out from practicing for tomorrow's show to give us his Top 10 LPs of 2014, plus a few runners-up, with a little commentary for each. You can read that below...

Cymbals Eat Guitars put out their great third record, LOSE, earlier this year, which is starting to land on year-end lists like Jeff Rosenstock's. The band also gave us their own list of their favorite albums of 2014, which includes Foxing (who joined them on their tour with Brand New), Joyce Manor (who also toured with Brand New this year), Alex G (who's opening CEG's upcoming tour), Beyonce's late 2013 release and more. Check out their whole list, with commentary, below.

That Cymbals Eat Guitars/Alex G tour begins next week, coming to NYC on December 12 at Knitting Factory. Tickets for that show are still available. Updated dates are listed below.

CEG have also reissued their 2009 debut, Why There Are Mountains, which was initially self-released, on their current home of Barsuk Records. You can pick that up on vinyl here for the holiday sale price of $12.80, and they'll also have copies on their December tour.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are currently on tour with The New Pornographers, and both bands hit NYC's Hammerstein Ballroom on November 17 (tickets). One day after their tour ends, the Pains will play soon-to-close Glasslands on November 24 with Hooray For Earth, GABI, and Ablebody. Tickets for that show go on sale today at 1 PM.

Matt Sharp's post-Weezer band The Rentals are releasing their first new album in 15 years next week (8/26) via Polyvinyl, and are now streaming it in full on Pitchfork. They also recently announced a short tour, for which openers have since been revealed. The East Coast run will get their Polyvinyl labelmates Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin on all three dates, with Polyvinyl alumni Mates of State joining in NYC and Philly, and Hooray For Earth in Asbury Park. Tickets for NYC, NJ and Philly are on sale now. The West Coast gets We Are Scientists (whose Keith Murray will be in The Rentals for this tour) and The Rentals' old pals/tourmates/collaborators Ozma (who put out a new LP this year which is streaming below). All dates are listed below.

Hooray For Earth have other shows much sooner than that, including a NYC show this Saturday (8/23) at Bowery Ballroom with Porches and Grooms. Tickets for that show are available and we're also giving away a pair, along with a copy of their new LP, Racy. Details below. Also below is their new video for "Say Enough" from Racy and a stream of an experimental guitar track they recorded with Grooms.

SSLYBY also recently mentioned that they're working on a new album at Seattle studio Hall of Justice, where Nirvana recorded Bleach and which former Death Cab guitarist Chris Walla now owns. Beau Sorenson, who co-produced 2010's Let It Sway with Walla, is producing.

And last but not least, you can catch Mates of State in NYC much sooner at their previously discussed free show this Friday (8/22) at Pine Box Rock Shop.

The Great Void is the moniker of Brooklyn musician Josh Ascalon, who has some pretty talented friends in the area such as Twin Shadow, Autre Ne Veut, Hooray for Earth, Chrome Canyon and members of Neon Indian, all of whom appear on his upcoming album. He's talented himself too, as you can hear on his brand new single, "Shift Age" which Chrome Canyon plays theremin on. It's '80s-style synth pop and readymade for the dancefloor (think "Blue Monday" or something), but Josh's rawer vocals recall the post-punk that much of that kind of stuff evolved out of. We've got the premiere of the video, which was animated by Johnny Woods, and you can watch that below. It's technically NSFW, but it is only animated, so maybe your boss will let it slide.

The Great Void celebrates the new single with a release party on Friday (8/1) at Cameo. It's a midnight show, and Neon Indian headlines with a DJ set. Also on the bill is Ta$$y. Tickets are on sale now.

Hooray for Earth will release their new album, Racy, via Dovecote on July 29. Produced by Chris Coady (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Grizzly Bear, Beach House), the album's first single is the anthemic "Keys" which you can stream below. You can also check out the creepy/cool Beau Burrows and Tucker Bliss-directed video below as well.

Right after Racy's release, Hooray for Earth will be going on tour with Grooms. That trek wraps up in NYC at Bowery Ballroom on August 23 and tickets are on sale now.

Grooms have a new album on the way too, release date TBA. All tour dates, plus album art, tracklist and "Keys" stream/video, below...

You can browse our full NYC show calendar for all of tonight's shows, but here are some highlights...

Floor, Hot Victory, Darsombra, Godmaker @ Saint Vitus
Sludge pop vets Floor are currently reunited and back with a new album, Oblation. It's their first since 2004's Dove, but those familiar with singer Steve Brooks' other band Torche should pretty much know what to expect here. Their experimental tourmates Hot Victory are worth catching too.

Slint, Spires That in the Sunset Rise @ The Wick
Slint only put out two albums -- 1989's Steve Albini-produced Tweez and 1991's legendary Spiderland -- but their brand of post-rock and post-hardcore has proved to be highly influential over time and it's held up very well. Tonight's their second of three sold-out NYC shows on their current reunion tour.

Coldplay, SZA @ Beacon Theater (early and late)
Coldplay will be back with a new album later this month (maybe you heard the song that sounds like Bon Iver or the one with Avicii), and though they've yet to announce a proper tour, they'll be playing some intimate shows beforehand including two in NYC tonight. The late show will be opened by TDE-signed R&B singer SZA. Both sold out.

Mike Birbiglia @ Union Hall
Comedian Mike Birbiglia still has plenty of "Thank God for Jokes" tour dates coming up, but tonight he takes a break from that for one of his small "Working It Out" shows at Union Hall. Sold out.

The 10th annual Animation Block Party happens this week from July 25 - 28 at various Brooklyn venues, showcasing the best in professional, amateur and student animation. Things kick off Thursday (7/25) at Music Hall of Williamsburg with a party that features musical performances from Adam Green & Binki Shapiro, and Hooray for Earth. Les Savy Fav's Tim Harrington is your host for the evening that will also include screenings of animated shorts from Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and Pixar. Tickets for that are on sale now.

Friday's event (7/26) happens at Automotive High School in Greenpoint and is part of Rooftop Films. People's Champs will play live, followed by a program of shorts. Tickets for that are on sale now as well.

Saturday and Sunday's events (July 27 & 28) happen at BAM's Rose Cinemas with a mix of shorts programs, family fare (The Land Before Time), a screening of Beavis & Butthead Do America, and more. Visit BAM's site for full schedule and tickets.

Brooklyn's Brain Cave Festival is returning this year from April 11 to 14 at Europa. The festival features four days of local bands including Peelander-Z, Eula, The Suzan, Hooray For Earth, Lemonade, Cat Martino, and more. The full lineup and schedule, along with the trailer video and flyer for the festival, are below.

Tickets for each individual night and a 4-day pass option are on sale now.

As mentioned previously, Bob Mould will be back in NYC next month for two shows at Bowery Ballroom on February 26 - 27 and tickets are still available. What we didn't know at the time was who was opening the shows, which we now do. Bear in Heaven will open the 2/26 show and Minneapolis trio Now Now will open the 2/27 show. Tickets to both Bowery shows are still available.

Now Now, meanwhile, are also on the road and will hit NYC before the Bob Mould show as part of the Heavy & Light tour that hits Irving Plaza on February 13 and also features Jon Foreman (of Switchfoot), Anthony Raneri, The Lone Bellow and Will Anderson. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Back to Bob, the Kickstarter for his concert DVD was successfully funded, and See a Little Light comes out January 15 and you can pre-order it here.

While I haven't revealed by Favorite Albums of 2012 list yet, I'll let it slip that Hospitality's eponymous debut album is pretty high up there. If you've yet to hear it's many guitar pop pleasures, you can stream it below. Wondering what the band have listened to the most in 2012? They've offered up their Top 10 of 2012 which you can peruse below. It's actually nine new albums and then the last slot goes to Led Zeppelin which singer Amber Papini admits she's been gorging on ever since Hurricane Sandy.

Sandy caused the band's headlining show at Bowery Ballroom to be postponed and the make-up date is right around the corner onJanuary 10 with TEEN and Household. Tickets are still available and we're also giving away a pair.

Meanwhile, Hospitality next show after that will be as part of the Kidrockers series at Brooklyn Bowl, happening Sunday, February 10 at 11 AM. Tickets are $8 and on sale now -- kids 2 and under get in free. It's all ages on Sundays at Brooklyn Bowl till 6PM when it becomes 21+ like the rest of the week.

Kidrockers have announced a few other 2013 shows as well: Caveman (who just announced a big tour, including Webster Hall on 4/10) play on January 27 (tix); and Hooray for Earth play on February 3 (tix, they also play Knitting Factory next month). There is also the previously-announcedDIIV show on January 13 (they play an "adult" show at BB that same night).

Hooray for Earth released the "Never/Figure" single a few months ago, the first taste of what will be their sophomore album that should hit sometime in the first half of 2013. That single now has an epic, effects-laden video that you can watch in its full, seven-minute glory below.

The band will be road testing new material next month on a short tour that will hit the East Coast and Midwest, finishing up in NYC at Knitting Factory on January 31 with Ice Choir opening. Tickets to that show are on sale now. All tour dates are listed below, along with that music video.

[A Place to Bury Strangers'] live show is all about sensory overload, and the smaller the room is, the harder it hits. They forwent traditional stage lights entirely, plunging the room into total darkness and illuminating themselves sparingly with splashed colors from projectors situated around the stage. Custom amplifier heads from frontman Oliver Ackermann's effects pedal company Death By Audio stood atop speaker cabinets that dwarfed everyone in the room, and every instrument on stage looked to have barely survived a war zone. Once the band plugged in and turned up, a sonic war zone was essentially what the audience was in for. -[Yardhawk]

A Place to Bury Strangers and Bleeding Rainbow swung through Bowery Ballroom on November 18, part of a larger tour for the pair that included a stop at Fun Fun Fun Fest (pics), the M for Montreal festival, and Chicago (pics). A review from their 11/19 show in Boston at Middle East is above. Did you see them on this tour? How was it?

If you missed the show (as we did), you have another chance to see them this week, and support a good cause while doing so. APTBS play a Hurricane Sandy relief benefit on Saturday (12/1) at 285 Kent with Liturgy, Total Slacker, Royal Baths and a DJ set from Weekend. All proceeds go to the Robin Hood Foundation's Sandy Relief Program. Tickets ($12) are on sale.

While on the subject of Sandy relief benefits, you can still get tickets to see Hooray for Earth, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Zambri and Grooms at Pianos on Thursday (11/29). Directly after that show is another Sandy benefit, a late night (midnight - 4 AM) party with Kitty Pryde on DJ duty. This party is free, but donations are suggested and more info is here.

As you may have noticed in today's What's Going On (11/18), there's a few Hurricane Sandy Relief benefits going on in NYC today.

There's one going down in both rooms at Public Assembly, which started at 1:30 PM and is continuing into the evening. If you head down there now, you can still catch sets by Wojick, Zula, The Veda Rays, Their Planes, Backwords, Pessanger Peru, Cool Serbia, Ski Lodge, and Slowdance. Admission is $10 at the door and all proceeds go to NY Cares. Those who bring three canned food items or one hygiene product will get one free Brooklyn Brewery Beer. The full schedule and more info is below.

Union Pool has one dubbed, "From Brooklyn with Love," starting at 5 PM with sets by Wild Yaks, Free Blood, Ice Balloons, Field Mouse, Sophia Knapp, Desert Stars, Firecracker Firecracker, Jess Williamson, Shenandoah and the Night, and The Monte Vista. Admission is a minimum of $20 and all proceeds goes to World Cares. "Big drink specials come to those who donate." The lineup is below.

Later this month, there will be a Sandy benefit at Pianos on November 29 with Cymbals Eat Guitars, Hooray for Earth, Zambri, Grooms, and DJ sets by Will Shortz between sets. Tickets ($12 minimum) are on sale now and proceeds will benefit the victims of Hurricane Sandy in Red Hook.

As mentioned, Japandroids will kick off the North American portion of their tour in November, which hits NYC on December 4 and 5 at Webster Hall. We already knew that Bleached will be supporting on the first leg, and Swearin' on the second, and it's now been revealed that the third portion, which includes both NYC shows, will be supported by DIIV. Tickets for both Webster Hall shows are still available. An updated list of dates is below.

You won't have to wait that long to catch DIIV in their hometown of NYC though (you never really have to wait very long to do that anyway), because as mentioned, they'll headline the Captured Tracks CMJ showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg on October 18 with Mac DeMarco, Thieves Like Us, and Dignan Porch. Tickets for that show are still available.

We mentioned before that the new Hood Internet album, FEAT (out 10/2), was a sample-free, guest-filled affair featuring the likes of Class Actress, The Rosebuds, Hooray for Earth, Au Revoir Simone's Annie Hart, Cadence Weapon, Zambri... and AC Newman who lends his pipes to the breakbeat-driven "One for the Record Books" which we have the premiere of right here in this post. You can stream it below and watch the video for "Won't Fuck Us Over" that features Annie Hart and BBU.

The Hood Internet are currently on tour and will play NYC tonight (9/14) at Music Hall of Williamsburg. (Rescheduled and relocated from August.) Tickets for tonight's s how are still available. If you'd like to go for free, we're also giving a pair of tickets away. Details are at the bottom of this post. Playing with them tonight and at all shows on this tour will be Oscillator Bug who will serve as The Hood Internet's backing band for their new sample-free tunes.

Song stream, video, a list of tour dates, and contest details are below.

It's been a year since Hooray for Earth's True Loves album and just when you were itching for something new, they deliver. The band will release a double a-side single on August 21 and that's the cover art above. You can stream one of the tracks, the soaring "Never" at the bottom of this post.

Hooray for Earth don't have any hometown NYC shows line-up just yet but there are a few dates this month playing Scandinavian festivals. All dates are listed below.

Remix gurus The Hood Internet will release their new album, FEAT, on September 18. This will be the band's first album of completely original material, free of samples. To fill sample void, the Chicago duo brought in a bevvy of guest stars for the album, including AC Newman, Class Actress, the Rosebuds, Hooray for Earth, Au Revoir Simone's Annie Hart, Cadence Weapon, Zambri, and more. Tracklist with all the guest performers is below.

Before the album comes out, The Hood Internet are going on a tour which includes a stop in NYC at Brooklyn Bowl on August 11. No on sale date has been announced yet. All tour dates are listed below along with a video teaser for FEAT and a stream of the duo's latest mixtape.

It's beginning to feel like this summer is just one never ending music festival. In addition to the Northside Festival, which begins in Brooklyn tonight, NYC will get another multi-venue festival next week with the recently revived New Music Seminar which runs from June 17-20 this year. Some of you out there may have lived (and gone to see shows) long enough in New York City to remember the fest's original incarnation which existed for a week every summer from 1980 to 1995. It was a little like CMJ, but more focused on live music, though there were industry panel discussions and the like too.

For the new version (which actually existed last year too in a very small form), badgeholders will have access to a number of industry talks and also a selection of live shows. Those shows include a free show at Tammany Hall on Tuesday (6/19), presented by eMusic, with Anamanaguchi, Hooray for Earth and Yellow Dogs. They also include the previously discussedDeer Tracks show at Pianos on Wednesday (6/20) with Mon Khmer, Nouela, and Crux.

Another notable one is REKS, Soul Khan, Maffew Ragazino, and The Doppelgangaz at Public Assembly on Tuesday (6/19). REKS released an album this year called Straight No Chaser, which was produced by Statik Selektah and features guest appearances from Action Bronson, Termanology, Slaine, and others. You can stream the whole thing below via spotify along with a video for album track, "Chasin'."

It's pretty hard to think about Pictureplane without thinking about Grimes these days, whether it be because Hipster Runoff thinks they're dating, shared bills, remixing each other, or Grimes wearing a Pictureplane shirt. So it seems like an appropriate time to quickly remind that AmEx presale began today at noon for her upcoming shows at Bowery and MHOW. In case you haven't been keeping up, Grimes dropped two collaborations with Blood Diamonds recently: one is the title track off Blood Diamonds' upcoming Phone Sex EP (due out 7/24 via 4AD); and the other also includes Kreayshawn and Tragik, and came out under the name L$D. The song's called "Don't Smoke My Blunt Bitch." Check out videos of both of those below.

In more related news, d'Eon, who Grimes released a split LP with last year, revealed an interview with Stereogum that he's a bit envious of Pictureplane: "I've seen him live a couple of times and he hypnotizes the crowd and 300 18-to-22 year old girls just want to fuck him at all times and I'm really jealous of that kind of charisma." d'Eon released the LP, simply titled LP, earlier this month and it's really great. It's a concept album that deals with real life vs internet life (there's a song called "My iPhone Tracks My Every Move"). All of the songs flow seamlessly into each other and there's a ton of musical reference points, including the art pop of Peter Gabriel, the sexy ambient R&B of How to Dress Well, and the production work you've come to expect from d'Eon. You can stream that entire album below.

Speaking of Grimes and DIIV, they team up for a free show at River Rocks on Pier 84 on August 9. That show is with Wild Nothing, who just announced a new album, Nocturne, which is due out August 28 via Captured Tracks in the US and a day earlier in the UK via Bella Union. Check out the song, "Shadow," from that album below, along with a list of all Wild Nothing dates, and the album's tracklist.

Cursive will release their seventh full length album, I Am Gemini, on February 21 via Saddle Creek. The album was recorded with Matt Bayles, and according to a press release, tells the story of "Cassius and Pollock, twin brothers separated at birth. One good and one evil, their unexpected reunion in a house that is not a home ignites a classic struggle for the soul, played out with a cast of supporting characters that includes a chorus of angels and devils, and twin sisters conjoined at the head." The press release also notes that it's the first album frontman Tim Kasher wrote with the complete story in mind, with the lyrics having been written in order from song 1 through song 13. The album artwork and tracklist is below.

Rolling Stone premiered an exclusive download for album track, "The Sun and Moon," yesterday (1/2). You can download it at RS's site and stream it below. Like the material on 2009's Mama, I'm Swollen, the song hearkens back to the riff heavy work of Cursive's earlier stuff, before they began experimenting with dynamic string and horn arrangements.

Cursive is going on tour in support of the new album in the upcoming months. They've already announced a run in February and March with Ume, Mount Moriah, and Virgin Islands. Now they've revealed a second run with Cymbals Eat Guitars and Conduits that includes NYC shows on April 3 and 4 at Bowery Ballroom. Tickets go on sale Friday (1/6) at noon with an AmEx presale starting Wednesday (1/4) at noon.

Speaking of Cymbals Eat Guitars, their song, "Keep Me Waiting," was just remixed by Hooray For Earth. Download that remix at the top of this post and stream it below.

You have two chances to check out Sun Araw Band before the clock strikes 2012. The first is in Rio de Janeiro at the Novas Frequências Fest on December 7th. The next is two days later in Brooklyn at 285 Kent on 12/9 with Regal Degal, Heatwave, CSC Funk Band, and a Prince Rama DJ set.

Prince Rama just finished a batch of dates with Indian Jewelry including one at the Mohawk in Austin with Melt Banana (which we posted pics from HERE). They're now down in Miami for Art Basel and touring their way home. As previously mentioned, Prince Rama play Glasslands on 2/23 with Gary War (tickets), BUT they've also not surprisingly scheduled another show much sooner. One day after they DJ at 285 Kent they'll open for Hooray for Earth, along with Woodsman, at Public Assembly. Tickets are on sale for that too.

More tour dates and videos for "Impluvium" and "At Delphi" from Sun Araw's recent Ancient Romans LP are below.

The new record still sounds like Tom Vek -- the staccato drum beats, sparse arrangements, his laid-back vocal style -- and maybe it's the absence but it still sounds fresh. It's a great record and a welcome return. I have no idea who is in his band these days, but he was fantastic live back when he toured for We Have Sound in 2005. I have a feeling he's still got it.

Wild Beasts

Wild Beasts are over for four East Coast shows, including two nights at Le Poisson Rouge on Wednesday (7/13) and Thursday (7/14). (They're also playing Philly and D.C.) These will be the first the band have done since releasing their third album, Smother, back in May. As I've said before, this is subtler album than Two Dancers that shows the influence of Talk Talk and The Blue Nile in particular. It's a grower, as they say, and a worthy successor to 2009's best album. Check out "Loop the Loop" at the top of this post.

Live, Wild Beasts are truly something to behold, transcending their records every time (at least every time I've seen them). Sky Larkin's Katie Harkin is playing keyboards with the band on this Stateside jaunt which is an added bonus for some of us. The rest of North America will get a chance to see Wild Beasts in September when they come back for a proper tour. All 2011 dates are at the bottom of this post.

Urge Overkill were odd men out in the '90s, doing suave, heavily postured cock rock in an era dominated by slacker indie and stoner sludge. 1993's Saturation is one of the decade's classics, all big riffs and attitude that has only gotten finer with age. The same can't be said for 1995's Exit the Dragon, which found the band succumbed to the rock n' roll excesses the band exemplified. (There were even rumors the band were too fucked up to even play on its recordings, having most parts subbed by session musicians.)

There were various comeback gigs in the '00s but I don't think anybody expected them to make a new album. Which made this year's Rock'n'Roll Submarine (great title) a double shock: it exists and, more importantly, it's pretty awesome. Kato and Roeser keep the same flame alive: badass riffs, supercatchy choruses, and that unfakeable rock n' roll spirit. (No Blackie Onassis, but some chemistry is just too volatile apparently.) There's also a world-weariness that keeps it all real. They aren't trying to pretend they haven't been through some serious shit. But to paraphrase "Effigy" (downloadable at the top of this post), they've always taken the loud way.

The Wooden Birds

Lovely Austin band The Wooden Birds play two shows this week as well: Thursday (7/14) at Mercury Loungeand Friday (7/15) at The Rock Shop. As you may know at this point, this is Andrew Kenny's post-American Analog Set band, which still has his drony motorik style but in a much more acoustic setting. The Wooden Birds' sophomore album, Two Matchsticks, is (in my opinion) much better than their debut: the arrangements are more dynamic and the addition of Matt Pond (both on guitar and vocally) adds a lot. (Matt Pond PA's Chris Hansen is a touring member as well.) You can check out the title track to the new album at the top of this post.

What else? Hudson River Rocks starts this week (Thursday 7/14) with tUnE-yArDs and Austra which is a pretty hard-to-pass-up free show. While I don't reach for her album much, there's no denying Merril Garbus is a magnetic performer who can win over crowds easily. While Austra's Katie Stelmanis doesn't quite have that charm, there is no denying her stage presence either and I'm a big fan of Austra's debut album which came out earlier this year. Thursday is supposed to be beautiful and this show seems like a no-brainer.

Rayon Beach

Austin's Rayon Beach play three shows this week: Thursday (7/14) at Don Pedro, then Friday (7/15) at Bruar Falls and Saturday (7/16) at Death by Audio. I wrote this a year ago and I think it still holds true:

Like a lot of the bands on Hozac Records (or bands from Austin for that matter), this trio fit under the psych/garage umbrella but there's a decided Brit bent to their music. Baroque garage, is that a thing? Think Syd-era Pink Floyd or The Pretty Things more than Woven Bones. Make no mistake -- Rayon Beach can and do get plenty loud. It's just sometimes with pinkies extended.

Rayon Beachare on tour with fellow Austinite John Wesley Coleman III who is awesome in his own right. Last year's Bad Lady Goes to Jail, on Goner, incorporates country, soul and R&B into his sound (not to mention a unique worldview). He definitely stands out amongst the garage pack. If you feel like you've heard enough of this stuff, do give JWCIII a shot.

Scottish indie folk royalty Kenny Anderson, aka King Creosote. Anderson (whose brother Gordon was a founding member of The Beta Band and now fronts The Aliens) has been cranking out album after album of melancholic, wry songwriting since the late '90s. (Seriously, check out his discography.) Many of these have been self-released, but he's had records on Warner Brothers and Domino too.

Anderson teamed with Hopkins for his new album Diamond Mine that revisits and reworks gems from Anderson's 40-plus releases. You can check out the video for "Bubble" at the bottom of this post.

The Radio Dept

And now another weekend of Seaport-related shows. Friday (7/15) is the final night of this year's abbreviated Seaport Music Festival, with The Radio Dept.The band are in the U.S. for this and the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago and that's it -- so we should count ourselves lucky. If you wanted to see them somewhere small, you're out of luck. (Unless you maybe found yourself at a shop that rocked on, say, Thursday night. Maybe.) Last year's Clinging to a Scheme was one of 2010's best albums (according to me) and though I do wish they'd get a drummer to play with them at shows, they still sound pretty great live.

Saturday is the Village Voice 4 Knots Festival which is going out of its way to let us know it's not trying to be the Siren Festival. It's a nice line-up of bands, though, scaled to fit the Seaport. Apart from Eleanor Friedberger and Oberhofer, it is a pretty rock line-up what with headliners Black Angels, Titus Andronicus, Davilla 666 and Mr. Dream. If you like to dance, they've got an indoor lounge over at 210 Front Street with an all DJ lineup that includes Yeasayer, Dan Deacon, Brahms and the Finger on the Pulse dudes (also DJing as Punches) spinning tunes. Things kick off at 1PM.

Then Sunday (7/17) is the last show of my Sound Bites Series down at the Fulton Stall Market and I'm super pleased to have Hospitality on cleanup. When I found out we were going to be doing the series again, Hospitality were the first band I thought of. If you haven't heard them, you can download their 2009 EP for free from their Bandcamp site. It's quite lovely. The band have gotten less precious since then, though no less charming, and recently the band expanded to a four-piece with drummer Nathan Michel moving to guitar making them decidedly more skronky now.

I am quite enamored with this band and you should definitely come down and see them. They are seriously good. If you come to only one Sound Bites Show this summer... this is your last chance. Hospitality are on at 3PM sharp and I'll be spinning tunes from around 1:30 or so. It's free!

And right after Hospitality finish, you can head across South Street to the Beekman Beer Gardenfor this week's Beach Party show with Frankie Rose and Xray Eyeballs. Both bands feature on that free downloadable mix you can get over at Insound. The Frankie Rose track is one I hadn't heard before, a cover of Slapp Happy's "Blue Flower" which you may know from covers either by Mazzy Star or Pale Saints.

Last week (Cheeseburger and Hard Nips) was fun and pretty fairly low-key. The spot -- formerly Water Taxi Beach -- is a pretty popular spot on its own, so expect a mixed crowd of those there for the show and those there just for the view/vibe. Bands start at 4PM. It's free.

And that's about it for this week. A few more daily picks are below.

TUESDAY, JULY 12

It's a heatwave today but Cold Cave will have the A/C cranked for their show Knitting Factory tonight. I do really like their new album Cherish the Light Years which kind of reminds me of '80s band Lords of the New Church. The show is with gothy sea chanty singers Cult of Youth, and Zambri who are newly signed to Kanine Records (and who were impressive at Knitting Factory during the Northside fest). The show is part of a tour that ends at Bowery Ballroom with Austra.

Cymbals Eat Guitars, who took off in 2009 with their self-released debut, and experimented with the small label Sister's Den Records, have signed with long time suppliers of quality indie pop Barsuk Records to release their sophomore LP, Lenses Alien. Like fellow '90s worshippers Kurt Vile and Male Bonding, CEG have gone with John Agnello (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr) to produce the album, which comes out September 14 on Barsuk. No recordings from the album have been released yet, but if you saw them at Glasslands on May 20, you would have seen them play the entire album. They also did live recordings of the tracks "Definite Darkness" and "Wavelengths" on BBC Radio 6 in September (some of these songs have been around for a while). Grab those recordings above and watch the video of "Definite Darkness" below.

At the moment, Cymbals Eat Guitars do not have a full tour announcedUPDATE: TOUR ANNOUNCED, but they do have two shows announced for this October. One of those shows is a headlining show at Bowery ballroom on October 27. Tickets go on sale Friday (6/24) at noon. No opener has been announced.